NJAMHAA News - October 2021

October 2021 25 Dreyfus thinks that the pandemic revealed the shortcomings of the behavioral health field. One example is the financial fragility of many community-based organizations, which play an integral part in the response to the crisis. Dreyfus highlights a 2018 report that was published by the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities and t he American Public Human Service s Association, ANational Imperativ e: Joining Forces to Strengthen Human Services in America (available at https://tinyurl.com/362k2zh3), about the importance of human services and the realities of community-based organizations. The report highlights the vital role of community- based organizations in improving health outcomes and reducing the cost of health care by addressing the social determinants of health. This includes building quality and affordable housing; equipping individuals with disabilities with tools and resources to live their lives to their full potential; helping older adults stay connected to their communities; and providing mental health and substance abuse services, especially during the opioid epidemic. Despite the benefits that community-based organizations provide, there were several challenges that they faced before the pandemic, which resulted in them not living up to their true potential. Before the pandemic, many organizations were running with operating deficits due to inadequate risk-management practices and had contract terms that reimbursed providers less than the cost of delivering services to achieve the desired outcomes. Some organizations lacked financial reserves and capital for investing in technology, which limited data-sharing opportunities. However, the report recommends focusing on targeting funds to outcomes and results, rather than outputs; developing a capacity for innovation through data sharing and analysis; forming strategic partnerships; developing stronger risk management; and engaging in regulatory modernization. These recommendations continue to be relevant and, in the words of Dreyfus, “provide a roadmap to follow to strengthen this critical sector so we, too, can make our greatest contributions to our communities and neighbors.” Participants will gain insight into strategies and current trends to which providers should pay close attention. Dreyfus says healthcare reform is “the biggest disruptive force to influence behavioral health for the foreseeable future.” She stresses that disruption is not always negative and can be positive. “If we can truly get this right as a nation and understand what it is that creates health beyond primary care, we will not only bend the cost curve of health care, but we will also have healthier people and communities through the lens of equity, especially race equity. This will build our nation’s greatest economic resource, which is our human capital.” Another item that Dreyfus will discuss during her keynote speech is the eight accelerants of differentiated and influential social sector organizations. She discovered these eight accelerants when she stepped down as Chief Executive Officer of the Alliance for Strong Families and Communities. Dreyfus reflected on her 30-year career working across sectors at the local, state and national levels and what she observed in “truly excellent, differentiated and influential organizations.” She says that when the eight accelerants are combined, they create “the combustion to lift [the behavioral health] field and sector to higher impact.”While all eight of the accelerants are important, the one that Dreyfus says can keep her up at night and is probably making the 2020s “our moment” is an organization’s board of directors. “I see in too many organizations 20 th -century governance models in a 21 st -century world,” she adds. While Dreyfus does not underestimate the challenges that the pan- demic has brought to behavioral health providers, she does identify two positives that have come from the pandemic. It is the ability, as a field, to be agile and innovative. This is proven by how leaders and their teams, partners, funders and boards quickly adjusted to the new circumstances of the pandemic to provide crucial services that their clients depend on and ensure that the services were disrupted as little as possible. This flexibility will serve providers well as the field moves forward in a new paradigm in New Jersey. DMHAS Leader to Share Newly Implemented and Planned Services During the plenary session, Valerie Mielke, MSW, Assistant Commissioner of the New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS), will also discuss trends that will shape the future of mental health and substance use treatment, including what may be expected of the 1115 waiver and howNew Jersey will implement the 9-8-8 crisis response system, which is required by federal law to be operational by July 2022. She will also explore areas that DMHAS might be moving toward, such as value-based purchasing, recovery services and integrated care. Valerie Mielke, MSW, Assistant Commissioner of the New Jersey Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services, will share her vision for the future of services during the conference. [continued on page 26]